Our friends at the American Enterprise Institute recently released a report written by Congressman Mike Gallagher entitled “Wisconsin 2030: The education path to prosperity within the decade.”
The Green Bay-area congressman penned this blueprint out of concern that Wisconsin has fallen into “education mediocrity” in a state once known for educational excellence.It is an easy and quick read but more importantly, it’s a plan. That’s a lot more than we see in Minnesota as our state continues its wayward drift beyond educational mediocrity for many students into education malpractice.
Key Points from Wisconsin 2030:
- Wisconsin once led the education reform movement. It will take smart, conservative reforms to get Wisconsin (and states like it) to produce more highly skilled graduates, grow productivity, and protect a culture of hard work and stable families.
- Wisconsin can become a national model through eight changes: (1) returning to science-backed methods of teaching reading, (2) realigning incentives to keep excellent teachers in the classroom, (3) funding all school choices equitably, (4) intelligently investing in rural broadband, (5) informing parents of school quality during enrollment through a Yelp-like system, (6) shifting school board elections to the general Election Day, (7) modernizing technical colleges and the way students can pay for them, and (8) creating 529 savings accounts for blue-collar apprenticeships.
- By preparing students well for any career path, four-year degree required or not, states hit hard by demographic and economic decline can find their place in the modern economy.
You can read the Wisconsin report here.
